Link system for oil-press boxes



(No Model.) f J. H. HUBBELL.

LINK SYSTEM FOR. 01L PRESS BOXES. I No. 569,920. Patented 001;. 20,

WJG/M-TM T NIJRRIS PETERS co. mmmn-m. wmmercn. n. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT" FFICE.

JOSEPH H. HUBBELL, OF DAYTON, OHIO.

LINK SYSTEM FOR OlL-PRESS BOXES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 569,920, dated October20, 1896. Application-filed June 3,1896. Serial No. 594,167. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JOSEPH H. HUBBELL, a citizen of the United States,residing at Dayton, in the county of Montgomery and State of Ohio, haveinvented new and useful Improvements in Link Systems for Oil-PressBoxes, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to presses designed for pressing material,particularly hydraulic presses for expressing the oil from cottonseedmeal and other oleaginous substances; but the invention is useful inconnection with any kind of a press employing a system of press boxes orplates which are connected together and suspended in the press throughthe medium of links.

In hydraulic oil-presses of the class or type, for example, describedand shown in Letters Patent No. 266,373, issued October 24, 1882, toWilliam Krutzsch, the press boxes or plates are flexibly connected andsuspended by slotted links, so that when the plunger of the hydrauliccylinder is retracted, or, technically,

when the press is down,. the press boxes or plates are suspendedseparated one from another for the introduction or removal of thecotton-seed meal or other substance which is to be pressed.

The links or other devices heretofore used in oil and other presses toflexibly connect and suspend the press-boxes have proved objectionablefor several reasons, chiefly because they usually obstruct the completeor perfect closing of the boxes when the hydra ullc press is operated,or, technically, when the press is up. The ordinary arrangement of linksin oil-presses has in fact caused so much annoyance and dissatisfactionthat many costly experiments have been made and various conobjectionablein that they interfere with the boxes or with one another as the boxesare closed together, while all are more less objectionable due to beingcomplicated, expensive, and inefficient.

The chief objects of my invention are to avoid all the objections statedand to provide a new and improved construction and arrange ment of linkswhich permit the boxes to be opened to the desired extent, enable themto be completely and perfectly closed against one another, and maintainthem under all circumstances in substantial parallelism horizontally,while providing a very compact and economical system of links andentirely avoiding any material interference of one link with anotherwhen the boxes are closed or opened in the operation of the pressmechanism.

The objects of my invention are accomplished in the manner and by themeans hereinafter described and claimed, reference being made to theaccompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is an end elevation of one endportion of a gang of press-boxes in their open position and flexiblyconnected together according to my invention. Fig. 2 is an end elevationof the same, showing two of the links in section. Fig. 3 is a viewsimilar to Fig. 1, showing the press-boxes closed together, as when thepress is up. Figs. 4 and 5 are detail plan views of corner portions oftwo press-boxes, showing the pin-carrying arm of one greater in lengththan the pincarrying arm'of the other; and Figs. 6 and 7 are detailviews of one of the eyed and slotted links.

In order to enable those skilled in the art to make and use myinvention,I will now describe the same in detail, referring to the drawings,wherein the numerals 1 indicate press boxes or plates of the kindordinarily used in hydraulic or other presses designed for pressingvarious materials, such, for example, as cotton-seed meal and otheroleaginous substances.

I have illustrated six press-boxes in the drawings, but it will ofcourse be understood that hhe illlnlbel maybe increased to any extentdesired.

The press-boxes are each provided at each corner portion with projectingarms 2, as in Figs. 4 and 5. The arms of one box are of a length greaterthan the arms of the next box. For instance, if the top or uppermost boxbe provided with the short arms the alternating boxes thereafter will beprovided with the long arms. The short arms are each provided with asingle horizontally-projecting pivotpin 3,and the long arms are eachprovided with similar horizontally-exten ded pivot-pins 4, so that allthe pivot'pins 8 lie in one vertical plane or in one row, while all thepivot pins 4 lie in another vertical plane or in another row, therebyproviding at one end portion of the gang of boxes two distinct rows ofpivot-pins.

The press-boxes, possessing the characteristic features above specified,are flexibly connected or coupled together through the medium of eyedand longitudinally-slotted links, which are grouped in pairs and soconstructed and arranged, except as to the top and bottom boxes, thatthe two links of each pair pivotally engage a press-box, and the slotsof this pair engage the press-box above and the press-box below the boxto which said links are pivoted, in which respect my improvedconstruction and arrangement is novel and possesses advantages overprior devices for the purpose in hand.

The links 5 are each constructed at one end with an eye 6 and at theother end portion with a longitudinal slot 7. The eye 6 of each link isdesigned to engage and swing upon one of the pivot-pins 3 on the shortarms of the press-boxes, while the slots 7 of the links are designed toengage and slide upon the pins 4 on the long arms of the pressboxes. Thelinks are retained upon and prevented from shifting off pins through themedium of any suitable devices, such, for example, as split keys 8.

As before stated, the links are grouped in pairs, and the two links ofeach pair pivototally engage one press-box at one end portion thereof.Commencing at the lower end of the gang of press-boxes it will beobserved that the two links of the first pairhave their eyes overlaidand mounted upon the pivot-pin 3 at one end of the press-box next to thebottom press-box. These two links project upward and downward and theirslotted end portions 7 engage, respectively, the pins 4: at one end ofthe press-box above and the press-box below the box to which the eyedends of the two links are pivotally connected. The same orde'rapplies tothe other press-boxes above, the chief characteristic being that the twolinks of a pair of links engage one end of every press-box between thetop and bottom boxes.

It will be seen from the drawings that the eyed ends 6 of the two linksare mounted on one pivot-pin 3, and that between the top press-box andthe two lowermost press-boxes the slotted ends of the two'links of eachpair overlap and engage a single pivot-pin 4.

\Vhen the press is down and the boxes are open, they han suspended onefrom another through the medium of the links, and as the press is putup, or, rather, as the boxes are closed together by the action of thepress, each link in a series is in its turn relieved of the weight ofthe box which the link suspends. The pivot-pin working in the slot ofthe link will then swing the latter on the pivot-pin engaging the eyedportion of the link, so that each individual link is swung to such aposition as to olfer no obstruction to the boxes closing to the requiredextent, as will be understood by reference to Fig. 3. Obviously theguiding and swinging of the respective links by the pivot pins whichenter and engage the slots in the links eifectually avoids thepossibility of one link interfering with another link, either when theboxes are closed together or when they are opened.

It will be observed that in my invention a single pivot-pin is arrangedat or near each one of the four corners of a press-box, and that thepivot-pins at one end of alternate boxes are in alinement with oneanother, thereby providing two distinct rows of pivotpins. At the sametime there is only a single pin on each box at each cornor thereof. Bythis means two distinct sets of links can be used at each corner portionof the press-box, one set being located over another set with theslotted ends pointing upward, while the slotted ends of the other setpoint downward. The construction is such that the links are accuratelyguided, and they nicely nest together when the press-boxes are closedtogether, and by the arrangement described and shown I am enabled tomaterially reduce the number of pins necessary for a practical linksystem, in that by my invention I only employ a single pin at eachcorner of a press-box, instead of employing two separate and independentpins at each corner of a press-box, as in Letters Patent No. 266,373,hereinbefore referred to. The alternate arrangement of the pivot-pinsrenders it possible to engage two links with a single pin, and at thesame time the pins will so stand in inclined or oblique positions thatthey are accurately guided and will nicely nest together when the boxesare closed without any danger whatever of any one of the linksinterfering with another link.

Practical use of my present invention has demonstrated that it is usefuland practicable in operation in connection with any design of press-boxnow in use in oiLpresses.

7 Having thus described my invention, what I claim is-- 1. Thecombination with the press-boxes of an oil-press, having pivot-pins attheir ends, of the longitudinally-slotted pairs of links, each pairhaving one end mounted beside one another on a single pivot-pin of abox, the slotted other ends of each pair of links lying one beside theother on the pivotpins of other boxes,substantially as described.

2. The combination with press-boxes having pivot-pins, of eyed andlongitudinallyslotted links grouped in pairs at one end of the boxes,the two links of one pair being pivoted to one box and having slottedends slidably engaged with the press-box above and the press-box belowthe box to which said links are pivoted, each pair of links beingmounted at one end side by side on a single pivot of a box and at theother end side by side on the pivots of other boxes, substantially asand for the purposes described.

3. The combination with press-boxes having alternating pins arranged atone end in two Vertical rows, of links grouped in pairs DGSSBS.

JOSEPH H. HUBBELL. Witnesses:

JOHN L. H. FRANK,

GEO. W. FRANK.

substantially as

